In Other Words
by Rose's.wings
Summary: A short story made especially for Lina and Gourry. When Gourry is offered several well paying jobs in Sairaag, Lina wonders why he doesn't take any. The answer leaves her speechless. Filled with sweet food, sweet music, and sweet moments.


A special one shot made just for Lina and Gourry. Inspired and accompanied by the song Fly Me to the Moon (the Megumi Hayashibara version of course). I hope your hearts melt.

* * *

In Other Words

.nn.

It was a nice day in the city of Sairaag. The reconstruction was going along quite nicely and the sounds of hammers and saws accompanied the usual talk and tumble that occupied most large cities. Sitting in the patio of one of the many small cafes that lined the busy main street, Lina found she didn't mind the whack-whack-whacking of the hammers as much as she had thought she would. After all it was a sunny day, the birds were singing, children were laughing, and soft, easy music was drifting out of the café's open doors.

Lina imagined that the café owner was only playing music to cover up the construction noise, but still, it was a nice touch. The meat sauce on the spaghetti and meatballs covering the plate in front of her was an even nicer one.

A sudden tittering that didn't come from the local blue birds made Lina look up. A group of girls not much younger then her were standing a little ways off, trying to stare at the sorceress's table without appearing too. Lina scowled as she slurped up the rest of her spaghetti. Red sauce flicked up splattering her eyebrow, but Lina didn't notice.

"Wow this is really good Lina. How'd you know about this place?" Lina's blonde shadow asked from across the small café table where he was attacking his own entrée with even more gusto then usual. Lina and Gourry had been helping Sylphiel with some of the temple restorations earlier in the day. It seemed that after their forced labor with the Golden Dragons and helping to rebuild their temple, word had gotten round that Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev were good with decorating semi-demolished temples.

Lina wondered how distorted this rumor really was because last she remembered the golden dragons hadn't really liked her addition to their temple. But oh well. It didn't really matter now since it had been destroyed by Valgaav months ago. Anyway, this temple restoration stuff paid pretty well. And she could pass on most of the grunt work to Gourry. He seemed to actually like the menial labor.

But it was the effects of that menial labor that was grabbing the attention of every girl in Sairaag. Well, that and the fact that apparently Gourry was some sort of local hero after helping to save his home city twice in the past two years.

"Sylphiel told us about it this morning remember?" Lina asked as she speared a meatball with more vehemence then was strictly required for balled meat and popped it into her mouth.

Gourry looked up, finger on his chin as he tried to remember talking with Slyphiel earlier, but as usual memory eluded him like the plague. "We talked with Slyphiel this morning?" He asked instead.

Lina sighed, wondering if those girls would be so giggly if they knew that Gourry wouldn't remember their names from one day to the next. She smirked as she saw their pretty, pouting faces frown in her mind's eye. They'd probably stamp their foot, call Gourry a horrible beast, and run away crying leaving Gourry to stand there wondering what they were so upset about. _"Idiots,"_ Lina thought as the girls started to walk away. _"It's not his fault his memory has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Sure it gets annoying when you have to explain something fifty times over, but hey, it's not like it'll kill me. And besides, Gourry would never forget _my_ name."_ She thought more then a little smug.

The giggling came to a crescendo as Gourry stretched his well muscled arms above his head. Lina glared at the girls. How dare they interrupt her lunch with their lovey dovey nonsense? Lina hated it when people interrupted her dining. It made her unexplainably angry.

Lina kept one eye on the giggling girls as she signaled the waiter for the dessert menu. Her mouth started watering as she scanned the rows of sugary confections, immediately forgetting the interlopers across the street. _"Oh they all look so good!"_ Lina thought, _"I can't decide what to get. Slyphiel said their lemon meringue pie was to die for but you can't exactly go wrong with triple chocolate fudge cake either."_ "I'll take two pieces of your lemon meringue pie and everything from the apple cobbler down to the chocolate cake!" Lina finally told the waiter, a cheek splitting smile on her face. Oh how she loved dessert.

"Yeah, and I'll have everything on the right page." Gourry chimed in.

"Ev-ev-everything?" The waiter asked his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.

"Yep, you got it!"

The waiter's eye was twitching but he went to put their order in anyway. Lina nodded happily. At least he hadn't started going on about how a little girl shouldn't be eating so much dessert like some other waiters would do.

A shadow suddenly fell across their table. "Excuse me?" A man's smooth voice asked incredibly polite even in the causal surroundings.

_"Oh now what?"_ Lina wondered as she shaded her eyes to get a good look at the new interruption.

A tall man anywhere from five to ten years older then Gourry stood over them, smiling like a salesman. He was dressed in the smart green and silver uniform of Sairaag's public defense unit. Strangely enough with all the grit and dust that had invaded the city the man's uniform was still clean and bright, like he had just picked it up from the cleaners. Lina lowered her eyebrows; she didn't trust people that smiled like that. Plus working people didn't actually stay that clean.

"Can we help you?" Lina asked coldly.

The man ignored her. "I'm sorry to interrupt your meal like this but are you Gourry Gabriev, saver of Sairaag and defender of Flagoon the Holy Tree, wielder of the sword of light?" He asked eagerly.

Gourry looked up from where he had practically been licking his plate clean. "That's my name, but I'm not so sure about all that other stu-"

"Excellent! Oh I can't believe I had the luck to meet you like this!" The man cut Gourry off. "You see, my name's Gal Svin and I'm captain of Sairaag's city forces. I was wondering if perhaps you would consider joining us in the defense of the city. We could always use a man like you, someone who thinks on his feet and is quick with a sword. Won't you please help us?"

Lina tried to hide her laughter, but Gal continued to ignore her. He thought Gourry was quick on his feet? Ha! Gourry hardly thought. Sure he could fight, he could fight really well, but planning was a completely different thing. Usually Gourry left that up to Lina or Zelgadis.

Gourry didn't even pretend to think about the offer. He smiled up at Gal and said, "Sorry, but no thanks. I've already got a job trying to keep one of the best sorceresses in town out of trouble."

Lina let the trouble comment slide considering the 'best sorceress in town' part that had come before it. _"It's about time he remembered that."_

Gal looked horribly disappointed. "I see. So Lady Muren has already contracted you then? Well I am very sorry for it. Are you sure you won't reconsider? We may not be able to match her pay, but to give your life serving and defending one's own city…" Gal drifted, relying on sentimentality to reel Gourry in.

But Gourry just looked confused. "Who's Lady Muren? I was talking about Lina." He said pointing across the table.

Lina leaned back in her chair; one leg thrown over the other in what she considered fitting for a sophisticated young heroine such as her self.

Gal peered at her, his eyes showing disbelief. _"And here comes the shock. It's only natural when meeting with someone like me." _Lina inwardly preened.

Gal's answer was more than a little disappointing.

"Who's Lina?" He asked.

Lina nearly fell out of her chair. "Me! I'm Lina. Lina Inverse. Surely you've heard of me." She yelled.

Gal thought about that for entirely too long for Lina's taste. _"Dang it. Even the bandits have heard the _bad_ rumors. Hasn't he been out in polite society this past year? Everybody knows _me_!"_

"No, I'm sorry. I don't seem to remember that name." Gal finally said.

Lina deflated in frustration.

"But anyway, back to business. I'm sure that a noble warrior such as you Master Gourry cannot find job satisfaction in guarding a," here Gal sneered at the already angry sorceress, "little girl."

"Whose little?" Lina demanded, fire springing into her eyes.

She was ignored. "Are you sure you won't reconsider? With the Sairaag Defense Unit I'm sure we can offer you something more challenging." Gal offered what he thought was a rather hard offer to deny.

Gourry threw back his head and laughed. "No job is harder then guarding Lina Inverse." He said.

Lina wasn't sure how to take that.

"So thanks Mister Svin, but I'm fine just where I am. Oh look Lina dessert's here!" Gourry exclaimed, forgetting Mister Svin still standing next to him.

"But-" Gal tried.

"You heard the man Svin. Get lost! I'm as challenging as they come now go find someone else's meal to disrupt. Hey Gourry that's my pie!" Lina yelled dismissing Sairaag's captain as easily as a superior might. Of course, Lina Inverse _did _think she was superior in many ways to a great many people so that might explain it.

Gal Svin hung his head and left Lina and Gourry alone. So much for recruiting the famous Gourry Gabriev, he thought to himself as he disappeared back into the crowd. Looking over his shoulder one last time the captain wondered just what it was that drew Gourry to that little sorceress. It certainly couldn't have been her looks. Gal would have to find out if she was really as powerful as she seemed to think she was. She must be paying Mister Gabriev quite the amount of money if he was so adamant about staying with her.

The waiter was still bringing out Lina and Gourry's dessert at the café when the music changed within the little building. Bright, easy music drifted out of the open windows, making customers and passerby relax. A woman's soft voice joined the soothing music as Lina polished off her first piece of pie and started on the cobbler.

_"Fly me to the moon_

_ And let me play among the stars._

_ Let me see what spring is like on_

_ Jupiter and Mars._

_ In other words, hold my hand_

_ In other words, darling, kiss me."_

Lina rolled her eyes, fork still in her mouth. _"It's just a love song."_ She thought. _"Why can't they ever have guitars in a place like this? It's always pianos."_

"Wow this pie is delicious." Gourry exclaimed as he finished the last bit of his first dessert. "I've never eaten anything so good."

"I know." Lina said. For a moment the two of them scarfed confections in silence, wallowing in the amazing taste that was dancing across their tongues. Then Lina sighed and leaned back in her chair, hand on her stomach as she waited for the rest of her order to arrive.

"Hey Gourry, I was wondering," Lina started, absentmindedly watching her companion across the table.

Gourry looked up from his plate, flecks of meringue on his face. "Yeah Lina?" He asked.

Lina mentally shook herself, drawing her attention from wherever it had been wandering. "Well I was just wondering why don't you take any of the jobs people offer? You've had almost twenty in the past few days and most pay pretty darn well. With what most of them are offering you could buy a house here and, you know, settle down."

Gourry blinked at Lina like he hadn't even thought of settling down (and truthfully he hadn't). He had never really thought about the future. Usually he just followed Lina since she was the one who knew what they were doing. Well, most of the time anyway.

"Well why would I do that when you're still out and about getting into trouble and saving people? That sounds like much more fun then city patrols. I don't want to just walk the same quiet streets night after night. I'm a traveling swordsman, not a patrolman." He said ready to turn back to his brownie.

"Well then why stick with me?" Lina asked, not ready to give up this conversation after she'd already started it. "It's not like _I_ can pay you anything." She said.

Gourry looked up, closing one blue eye in thought. "Well," he started trying hard to think of the best way to explain his reasoning. "I like being around you Lina."

Lina felt her face heat up. "You like being around…me?" That was a new one. People almost always seemed to want something from her, like 'save our country' or 'kill this monster' or even 'kiss me to get this wicked sorceress off my back'. Even her friends wanted things, but that mainly seemed to happen back before they were really her friends. Filia had found her to save the world. Amelia had wanted to learn the Dragon Slave from her. Zelgadis had wanted Lina's help to defeat Rezo the Red Priest. Usually helping out wasn't a problem, sometimes it wasn't even a bad thing, but Lina liked to be wanted for just being, well, Lina.

Which was incredibly feminine and girly and made her look horribly vulnerable which is why Lina had never said any of that to anybody, much less Gourry.

But come to think of it, Gourry had never wanted anything from her. He had just wanted to protect her. A completely ridiculous idea of course – she was the great and mighty sorceress Lina Inverse after all – but it was…sweet to think that Gourry wanted to keep her safe, not because he thought she couldn't do it herself, but because he cared about her. And Lina had never relied on anyone as much as she relied on Gourry. He was her best friend and her most trustworthy companion.

Gourry smiled at her across the table. "Well sure." He said. "Life's more interesting with you Lina. I couldn't go back to being just an average mercenary now that I've met you."

"But why?" Lina asked, her face cooling down. Of course, Gourry just liked the adventures she seemed to draw like honey drew flies. She should have known that.

Gourry looked at her like it should be obvious. "Because I would miss you."

Lina thought for sure that her heart would stop, but she couldn't find it in her to be embarrassed or even horribly awkward. She was actually…pleasantly surprised.

Lina's red eyes met Gourry's blue ones across the table. Her face was almost frozen with shock as her mind tried to process what Gourry was saying. Gourry just smiled at her, his face easy and open. In the background the soft music continued to play.

_"Fill my heart with song_

_ And let me sing forever more._

_ You are all I long for,_

_ All I worship and adore._

_ In other words, please be true!_

_ In other words-"_

The abrupt clatter of a large tray shook Lina and Gourry back to reality. Lina finally remembered how to breathe.

"H-here's the rest of your order." The waiter panted. His shoulders slumped as he tried to recover from the immense weight of four slices of lemon meringue pie, two hot fudge brownies a la mode, orange cream cake with a giant blue icing flower on top, three slices of cheesecake drowned in chocolate, raspberry, and caramel sauce respectively, five peanut butter dandies, three different kinds of fruit pie – two apple, one cherry, and one peach – and finally one slice of the house's triple chocolate fudge cake. The waiter had found that, much to his surprise, desserts could be surprisingly heavy.

"Alright!" Gourry yelled, fork in one hand, spoon in the other, ready and more then willing to dig in.

_"Gourry would miss me."_ Lina thought, oblivious to the mass of chocolate and sugar before her. _"He…likes me."_ She could hardly believe it.

"Hey Lina, aren't you going to eat your dessert? Your ice cream is melting you know. It's going to make the brownie soggy." Gourry looked up from the melting ice cream and saw the dazed look on Lina's face. A chill settled into his stomach that had nothing to do with the ice cream he had just slurped up. He hadn't done something wrong, had he? "Hey Lina, are you okay?" Gourry asked tentatively.

"Huh? Oh, yeah of course I'm okay." Lina said, shaking herself out of her daze. "I was just thinking is all."

"Oh, okay then." Gourry said. He was used enough to the idea of Lina doing all the hard thinking that her faraway look didn't bother him. As focused as he was on his raspberry covered cheesecake, Gourry didn't notice the lack luster way Lina was eating her own slice. Usually there was a good deal more food flying about when she was eating cheesecake.

They ate in silence as the crowds mumbled by and the soft music continued to float out of the café.

Lina wasn't sure what to do. For the first time in a very long while, Lina Inverse didn't know how she should act. Should she just continue like usual, as if Gourry's words hadn't hit her over the head with the force of a golden dragon falling out of the sky? Or should she tell him what he meant to her. At least as far as she was able to explain it. Lina had never thought about how she felt about Gourry before, how she _really _felt about him anyway.

But as adept as Lina was at talking – explaining things, magicking things, yelling things, and verbally trashing things – she wasn't sure if she had the words to match her feelings.

But action spoke louder then words, right?

Lina slid her triple chocolate fudge cake halfway across the table.

"Eh?" Gourry said when he saw the incredibly decadent cake sitting between the two of them. That wasn't like Lina at all. She never turned away cake, especially chocolate ones. "Don't you want it Lina?" He asked.

"I was just wondering…" She said slowly, unable to look up at Gourry. "Would you…like to share it with me?"

Gourry's fork froze in midair between his mouth and the table. "Really?" He asked almost as shocked as Lina had been when he had said that he would miss her. "You want to split it with me?" He asked just to be sure.

Lina swallowed and nodded finally gathering up the courage to look at him.

Gourry's radiant smile melted whatever misgivings she might have had. "Thanks Lina," he said with a laugh, "that's really sweet of you. Now do you want to cherry or can I have it?" He asked his tone light and easy.

"No way, that cherry's mine." Lina said, smiling despite herself as she picked up her fork.

They ate their chocolate cake, smiling all the while as they looked at each other. Above the dwindling noise of the crowd the last notes of the love song drifted out of the café to much applause.

_"In other words, I love you."_


End file.
